Facts

Toronto coming to town

The Wilmington Hammerheads FC will host its MLS parent club, Toronto FC, on June 18. The start time was not announced, and tickets go on sale Friday at Legion Stadium and at www.wilmingtonhammerheads.com.The game falls during MLS’ World Cup break, which means TFC star Michael Bradley will likely not be playing. Englishman Jermain Defoe, a veteran of the English Premier League, was left off England’s preliminary World Cup roster and might be here.

Lovitz, who settled into his position at left midfielder, played every minute of the Hammers' first five matches of the USL Pro season. He was strongest in set pieces, but also covered a lot of ground on the attack. Hammerheads coach David Irving has a few options when it comes to replacing one of his best players.

Sunny Jane

Jane is a 22-year-old midfielder fresh off playing four years at the University of Maryland. He missed the first two matches of the year waiting for international clearance. He played the final 30 minutes of a 2-0 loss to Charlotte on April 26 and started while playing 56 minutes of a scoreless May 3 draw against Rochester.

Jane is a fast and gifted dribbler. He's a creative player who manufactured three chances against Charlotte, a match in which no other Wilmington player stood out to Irving. He can be impatient and occasionally dribbles into a crowd, but he has the potential to be an exciting player. His skill set overlapped with Lovitz, which could have made it tough for him to find minutes.

If Irving wants to keep a similar shape to the lineup he's been starting for the past few weeks, Jane is a logical fit.

Manu Aparicio

The 18-year-old on loan from Toronto FC has been another strong addition from the Hammers' MLS parent club. He technically plays forward with Sammy Ochoa but lines up deeper in the field and canvasses much of the pitch – almost like having another midfielder.

Irving likes the idea of a fifth midfielder who can push forward on the attack with Ochoa. That's worked at times, but there have also been occasions when Ochoa was left alone up top.

Irving could move Paul Nicholson or Tom Parratt to the left side and move Aparicio to center midfielder. The Hammers' coach would then have a couple of options to pair with Ochoa.

It's the less likely scenario, but there's enough time remaining in the season to be able to make a dramatic alignment shift and be able to adjust.

Cody Arnoux/Jordan Hamilton/Mickael Oliveira

If Irving elects to move Aparicio back in the midfield, one of these three would likely move into the starting lineup. (Brian Ackley could be added to this list when he returns from the hamstring injury that has sidelined him since the beginning of the month.)

Arnoux is a veteran and stabilizes the attack. He tends to play as close to goal as possible, and the Hammers created some of their best chances all season in the Rochester game when he started in place of Aparicio.

Hamilton has played limited minutes since arriving two weeks ago from Toronto FC. He played 30 minutes in his May 3 debut – after only two days of training – and looked timid at times. Still, the 18-year-old striker scored for Canada in the U17 World Cup last fall and has a reputation as a good scorer.

Oliveira, who scored three goals in eight appearances last season, has played only 35 minutes in USL Pro games but started the Hammers' U.S. Open Cup loss Wednesday and scored a goal before being ejected for a red card in the 89th minute.

<p>Toronto FC's recall of Daniel Lovitz on Monday left <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9944"><b>Wilmington Hammerheads</b></a> FC with a hole in the midfield.</p><p>Lovitz, who settled into his position at left midfielder, played every minute of the Hammers' first five matches of the USL Pro season. He was strongest in set pieces, but also covered a lot of ground on the attack. Hammerheads coach David Irving has a few options when it comes to replacing one of his best players.</p><p><b>Sunny Jane</b></p><p>Jane is a 22-year-old midfielder fresh off playing four years at the University of Maryland. He missed the first two matches of the year waiting for international clearance. He played the final 30 minutes of a 2-0 loss to Charlotte on April 26 and started while playing 56 minutes of a scoreless May 3 draw against Rochester.</p><p>Jane is a fast and gifted dribbler. He's a creative player who manufactured three chances against Charlotte, a match in which no other Wilmington player stood out to Irving. He can be impatient and occasionally dribbles into a crowd, but he has the potential to be an exciting player. His skill set overlapped with Lovitz, which could have made it tough for him to find minutes.</p><p>If Irving wants to keep a similar shape to the lineup he's been starting for the past few weeks, Jane is a logical fit.</p><p><b>Manu Aparicio</b></p><p>The 18-year-old on loan from Toronto FC has been another strong addition from the Hammers' MLS parent club. He technically plays forward with Sammy Ochoa but lines up deeper in the field and canvasses much of the pitch – almost like having another midfielder.</p><p>Irving likes the idea of a fifth midfielder who can push forward on the attack with Ochoa. That's worked at times, but there have also been occasions when Ochoa was left alone up top.</p><p>Irving could move Paul Nicholson or Tom Parratt to the left side and move Aparicio to center midfielder. The Hammers' coach would then have a couple of options to pair with Ochoa.</p><p>It's the less likely scenario, but there's enough time remaining in the season to be able to make a dramatic alignment shift and be able to adjust.</p><p><b>Cody Arnoux/Jordan Hamilton/Mickael Oliveira</b></p><p>If Irving elects to move Aparicio back in the midfield, one of these three would likely move into the starting lineup. (Brian Ackley could be added to this list when he returns from the hamstring injury that has sidelined him since the beginning of the month.)</p><p>Arnoux is a veteran and stabilizes the attack. He tends to play as close to goal as possible, and the Hammers created some of their best chances all season in the Rochester game when he started in place of Aparicio.</p><p>Hamilton has played limited minutes since arriving two weeks ago from Toronto FC. He played 30 minutes in his May 3 debut – after only two days of training – and looked timid at times. Still, the 18-year-old striker scored for Canada in the U17 World Cup last fall and has a reputation as a good scorer.</p><p>Oliveira, who scored three goals in eight appearances last season, has played only 35 minutes in USL Pro games but started the Hammers' U.S. Open Cup loss Wednesday and scored a goal before being ejected for a red card in the 89th minute.</p>